These were the answer to treating a busy work crew (and also the answer to using up some very overripe but flavorsome bananas!)  Now if there were maraschino cherries in the cupboard, they would have topped each muffin, and another time that would be the preference in honor of the title.  Fortunately our crop of fall raspberries supplied the red fruit to top off the banana split!  Chocolate chips hide some of the great maple flavor, so sprinkle the tops liberally with maple sugar, and be sure to enjoy at least one while the chips are still warm and gooey.  (Excuse:  Dark chocolate supposedly has some health benefits!)  Although in the case of Banana Split muffins, maple sugar is acting primarily as a sweetener, if you are reading this you are likely a maple person, and you know how much better maple sugar is than that white stuff!   

What you need

1 cup of mashed, overripe bananas (two or three depending on size)

¾ cup maple granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk

1/3 cup melted butter

¾ cup dark chocolate chips (semisweet) 

How to do it

Preheat oven to 375˚

Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.  

Mash the bananas 

Stir in the maple sugar, egg and milk

Add the butter, and stir to combine

Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips, and stir all together until just combined.  Batter will be lumpy – do not overstir.

Divide the batter equally among the 12 cups.  Sprinkle tops liberally with extra maple granulated sugar.  Bake until tops are golden brown,  20-25 minutes.  Transfer the pan to a cooling rack.

Photo by Don Lockhart

October 2014